York Historic Environment Record

Between the November 2006 and January 2007, York Archaeological Trust undertook an archaeological excavation and watching brief during the relocation of an electricity sub-station from the south-west side of Silver Street to a yard at the junction of Silver Street and Newgate. This yard was created in the late 1970s and early 1980s through the demolition of buildings that had formed part of the still standing row of buildings built in the 14th century. Trench 1 involved excavating the footprint for the new substation transformers and Trench 2 involved excavating the service trench to connect the new substation to the street cables. The earliest features exposed formed part of the cemetery of St Sampson’s church and due to the water logged nature of these deposits, mineralised fabric from shrouds or clothes survived on two of the burials. A complex sequence of deposits was also excavated relating to the creation and modification of three tenements between the 14th-18th centuries. The 19th and early 20th century deposits had been disturbed by modern services and the laying of the hardcore and concrete for the present yard surface.